Blade-controlling device for road maintainers



Feb. 18, 1930. o. B. WALTERS BLADE CONTROLLING DEVICE- FOR ROADMAINTAINERS Filed May 22, 1928 O.B.Walters SMMM/H' Patented Feb. 18,1930 UNITED STATES ODIN B. WALTERS, OF COUNCIL BLUFIFS, IOWABLADE-CONTROLLING DEVICE FOR ROAD MAINTAINEBS Application filed May 22,

The present invention relates to improvements in blade controllingdevices for road maintainers, and has for an object to provide amechanism whereby the blade may be raised and lowered either as a wholeor locally at its end portions.

Another object ofthe invention is to provide a remote control for theblade raising and lowering devices, whereby the operator in riding uponthe tractor ahead of the maintainer may selectively raise and lower theblade ends or the blade as a whole from his position upon the tractor.

A further object of the invention lies in providing improved devices forraising and lowering the blade locally; improved mechanism forseparately or simultaneously operating said devices; and improved remotecontrol means for selectively operating said 2 mechanisms.

A still further object of the invention is to so construct, dispose andarrange the various agencies as not to interfere with the standardconstruction and free operation of the road maintainer and of the blade;while at the same time conserving space and weight.

A still further object of the invention is to provide an improved deviceof the above described character in which the various parts are groupedinto compact formations and are inexpensively constructed and simply andreadily operated, and in which the convenience of the driver of thetractor is promoted.

With the foregoing and other objects in view, the invention will be morefully described hereinafter, and will be more particularly pointed outin the claims appended heretoi In the drawings wherein like symbolsrefer to like or corresponding parts throughout the several views,

Figure l is a perspective view of a road maintainer adapted to be towedby a tractor, 45 a portion of which is indicated in dotted lines,

the maintainer being shown as equipped with the improved bladecontrolling mechanism.

Figure 2 is a top plan view of the controller mechanism with the gearcase cover removed, and

1928. Serial No. 279,698.

Figure 3 is a cross section taken on an enlarged scale through a portionof one of the operation mechanisms and lifting and loweringKdeVices.

eferring more particularly to the draw- 65 ings l0 designates generallya road maintainer of a conventional form supported for movement upon theground wheels 11. The blade 12 is shown as carried by the yoke and links13, the latter being pivoted upon the maintainer framework in a wellknown manner.

Upon the road maintainer and extending transversely thereofapproximately above the blade 12 is a framework consisting generally ofthe pairs of spaced uprights 14 and 15 at opposite sides of theframework. which are coupled together by beams 16 spaced a distancebelow their upper ends. Pivoted to the lower portions of each pair ofuprights 14 and 15, as indicated at 17, are the yoke pieces of arms 18which extend laterally beyond the sides of the frame 16 and are coupledby links 19 to opposite end portions of the blade 12 or to the bladesupports.

The arms 18, at an intermediate point are coupled to the links 20 whichextend upwardly and are pivoted to the horizontal arms 21 of the bellcrank levers which are fulcrumed at 22 between the frame uprights 14 and15. 30

As shown in Figure 3, the vertical arms of the bell crank levers areformed into gear sectors 23 disposed in mesh with worms 24 on wormshafts 25. The worm shafts are mounted in appropriate bearings 26 and27, which may be in the nature of cross connecting pieces between theupper ends of the uprights 14 and 15.

The worm shafts 25 extend with their axes transversely of the maintainerand with their axes preferably in alinement. At the central portion ofthe framework and carried in the gear boxes or hearing irames 27 areoperating mechanisms for the blade raising and. lowering devices. Theboxes 27' receive the worm shafts 25. which are equipped with the bevelgear wheels 28 in mesh with the pinions 29 upon the. vertical pinionshafts 30. Such pinion shafts carry at their lower ends other bevelpiniens 31 disposed in mesh with the pinions 32 upon the driving shafts33 and 34. The driving shafts extend forwardly from the framework whichsupports the operating mechanisms. Their forward ends are supported inthe brackets or standards 33 mounted upon the forward portion of theroad maintainer and extending at an inclination forwardly, so as tosupport the controller mechanism in a position overhanging the front ofthe tractor, a portion of which tractor is shown at 34 in dotted-linesas being hitched to the road maintainer.

Referring more particularly to Figure 2 the forward portion of the shaft33 is shown as having fixed thereto a pinion 35 as by the use of asquare hub 36 of the pinion fitting upon a square end portion 37 of theshaft.

In a similar way the companion parallel shaft 34 is provided with afixed pinion 38 secured upon the shaft as by the use of a square hub 39of the pinion fitting over a square portion 40 of the forward part ofsaid shaft 34. It will be noted that the pinions 35 and 38 are in offsetrelation, or in other words the pinion 38 rotates in a plane forwardlyof that of the pinion 35. Arranged between the two shafts 33 and 34 is asquare or other control shaft 41 hat ing a hand wheel 42 or otheroperating part at its forward end which will be accessible to the driverof the tractor for rotating the control shaft 41 and for shifting itaxially, as indicated in dotted lines-in Figure 1, said shaft 41 beingmounted through the gear case 43 for axial sliding adjustment and beingprovided at its rear end portion with a pin 44 or other device whichwill avoid the shaft being pulled through the gear casing.

Within the gear casing and fixed to rotate with the control shaft 41,although freely slidable in an axial direction thereon is an elongatedpinion 45, which is of a length to span the distance which separates theoffset pinions35 and 38. or yoke 46 is shown as coupled to the squarehub 47 of the gear wheel and a gear shift rod 48 extends forwardly fromthe gear shift claw and to a gear shift lever 49 pivoted at 50 on thegear case or other appropriate part.

In the operation of the device, either or both end portions of the blade12 may be lifted or lowered. In the position shown in Figure 2, the"pinion 45 meshes only with the pinion 35 and drives only the drivingshaft 33 when the control shaft 41 is rotated. Consequentl only theright hand end portion of the blade 12 will be affected. This ri ht handend portion of the blade will be lifted by the raising and lowering.vdevice at the right side of the framework and its connected mechanismwhen the hand wheel 42 is rotated in one direction; and such part of theblade will be lowered if the hand wheel and control shaft 41 are rotatedin an opposite direction. If it is desired to raise or low- A gear shiftclaw 1 er only the left hand portion of the blade 12, the operator ofthe tractor will first shift the gear shift lever 49 backwardly, so asto slide the pinion 45 along the control shaft 41 to a forward positionwhere it will mesh with the pinion 38 and disengage the pinion 35. Uponconsequent rotation. of the control shaft in the appropriate direction,the desired lifting or lowering movement may be imparted to the lefthand portion of the blade 12.

The gear shift lever 49 and the pinion 45 may also be moved to anintermediate position where the broad pinion 45 will mesh with bothoffset pinions 35 and 38, in which case rotation of the control shaftwill be imparted to both driving shafts 33 and 34 and the blade 12 willbe' lifted or lowered, in accordance with the direction of rotation ofthe control shaft 41, as a whole.

The seats of various makes of tractors are situated at differentdistances from the rear ends of the tractors and consequently thedrivers positions in some cases will be more remote from the hand wheel42 than in other cases. This lack of uniformity is compensated for bythe wide range of axial adjustment permitted the hand wheel 42 throughits shaft 41 being longitudinally slidable through the gear case 43. Itis to be noted that this axial sliding or adjustment of the hand wheelhas no effect on the position of the drive pinion 45, through which theshaft 41 freely slides. However, the arrangement is such that the shaft41, in any position of its axial adjustment is effective to rotate thepinion 45. On the other hand the pinion 45 is permitted a free axialadjustment of its own without regard to the shaft 41, such axialadjustment being obtained through the claw 46, rod 48 and gear shiftlever 49. The

ers seat and to promote the drivers convenience in the operation of thehand wheel no matter where his seat may be located.

I do not wish to be restricted to the size, form, and proportions of thevarious parts, and obviously changes could be made in the constructionherein described without departing from the spirit of the invention, itbeing only necessary that such changes fall within the scope of theappended claims.

IV hat is claimed is 1. A blade controlling device for road maintainerscomprising lifting and lowering devices on the road maintainer coupledto the. blade at spaced points, a shaft for operating each deviceextending forwardly of the road maintainer, pinions on the shafts inrelatively offset ositions, a central operat ing shaft accessible forangular adjustment from the tractor which draws the road maintainer, anda shiftable pinion associated to rotate with the control shaft andadapted to mesh with either of the first mentioned offset pinions orwith both said ofi'set pinions.

2. A blade controlling device for road maintainers comprising liftingand lowering devices on the road maintainer coupled to the blade atspaced points, a shaft for operating each device extending forwardly ofthe roa maintainer, pinions on the shafts in relatively offsetpositions, an axially adjustable central operating shaft accessible forangular adjustment from the tractor which draws the road maintainer, adrive pinion shiftable longitudinally on the operating shaft but fixedto rotate therewith and adapted to mesh singly with either of the offsetpinions or simultaneously with both, and the gear shift mechanism alsoaccessible from the tractor for moving said drive pinion.

3. A blade controlling device for road maintainers comprising aframework on the road maintainer approximately above the blade, liftingand lowering devices carried by opposite side portions of the frame andcoup ed to opposite end portions of the blade a separate mechanism foreach device carried centrally upon the frame, shafts for operat ing saidmechanisms extending longitudinally of the road maintainer and to thefront portion thereof, means at the front portion of the road maintainerfor supportlng the forward ends of the shafts, offset pinions on thefront portions of the shafts, an axially shiftable control shaft mountedbetween said first mentioned shafts, an operating element carried bysaid control shaft and accessible to the driver of the tractor, and adriving pinion fixed to rotate with the control shaft but shiftableaxially thereof to mesh with either of the first mentioned pinions orwith both said pinions simultaneously.

4. A blade controlling device for road maintainers comprising liftingand lowering devices on the road maintainer coupled to the blade atspaced points, shafts for operating said devices extending'forwardly ofthe road maintainer, pinions on the shafts in relatively offsetrelation, a broad drive in ion for meshing simultaneously with both ofthe first-named pinions and adjustable axially to mesh with eitherpinion to the exclusion of the other, an operating shaft for the drivepinion arranged to rotate the pinion but being freely slidable throughsaid drive pinion in an axial direction, an operating memher on theforward portion of the operating shaft adjustable axially with saidshaft, and independent means to shift the drive pinion back and forth onsaid operating shaft.

5. A blade controlling device for road maintainers comprising liftingand lowering devices on the road maintainer coupled to the blade atspaced points, shafts for operatin said devices extending forwardly ofthe road. maintainer, pinions on the shafts in relative 1y oflFsetrelation, a gear case for said pinions, a broad drive inion for meshingat the same time with bot 1 the first-named pinions and being adjustableaxially to mesh with either pinion to the exclusion of the other, anoperating shaft mounted for axially sliding movement through the gearcase and having relatively axially sliding movement through said drivepinion but constructed to rotate said drive pinion, an operating memberfixed on the forward portion of the operating shaft for rotating andsliding axially with the shaft, means on the other end portion of theshaft to avoid its withdrawal from the gear case, and means independentof the o erating shaft for sliding said drive pinion along saidoperating shaft independently of the axial movement of the latter.

In testimony whereof, I have aifixed my signature.

ODIN B. WALTERS.

